The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-06
FIGHTING WITH SURF BOARDS.
a Good Story of Life Years Age on the
Hawaiian Islands.
From the Louisville COrier-Joutdi.

forty years ago. but it is now dying out
and is seldom seen unless an exhibition is
| gotten up for tourists. but even then 1t is
not to be compared to that of olden times.
The idea was to launch through the surf
board from 20 to 40 feet in length, 2 feet in
with in the middle narrowing toward the
ends to n width Of II or - inches, . or ) III
! ches in thickness. and made of light wood,
sometimes Of solid pieces, but more often OF
! number of smaller ones lngeniously joined
| together Once clear of the breakers the
rider would paddle out TO sea with his hands
and feet, nothing else being used, watch his
chance, drive the board on the face or crest
| Of tremendous sea, and while approaching
| the beach with velocity but little less
than that Of an express train, stand up on
1t and go through a gymnastlc performance
that would have put to shame any at
tempt made in that line, even in our best
| circuses
Not only would its direction toward shore
be controlled, but it would be made TO fly
| up and down the face of the breaker in a
| direction parallel TO the shore line; a false
| move at any moment would have thrown
board and rider into the curler with but lit
tie chance for his life 1t was continued
| until the sea broke, when the board would
be shot ahead and landed high and dry upon
the beach. At times there would be hun
| dreds of men, women and children in the
| water, all on the 60, rushing here and there,
| stopping from one sea until carried along by
the next, now on the board, again off and
swimming, taking every position imagina-
bic on the board, but rarely if ever meeting
| with any serious mishap, for they were all
| amphibious. Once a year the natives col
| lected in succession on the different islands
| of the group and a tournament would
| take place between the best riders, the
| prizes consisting of food, war nipple
ments and the grandest of all, an area of
land and being elevated to the position of
| chief.
This was the prize offered by the King
| himself at the last of the tournament, the
| competitors being the two men who had
| been selected from the most expert riders
| during the preceding days In this bout
the sole object was to kill, drown, or dis
| lodge the opponent from his board by ram
ming with the ends, as no paddle or weapon
| of any kind could be used. On this day
| every one who could come would line the
beach, gathered together by tribes or in
| groups from their own islands. All were
| armed and ready to enforce fair play, for
| there were rules to regulate this as well as
| we have our own for a like purpose in all
| sports. Often there were 10000 or $4,000
warriors alone, and on this occasion, which
was spoken of particularly, there were fully
| 10000 witnesses who were capable of bear
| ing arms.
When all was ready the riders made their
appearance; the first from the Island of
| Kauii, with a light, lockwood board fully
35 feet in length, as light and springy as a
bow, beautifully decorated, and as finely
proportional as one could wish. But to the
surprise and disgust of every one his OPP
| ponent from Oahu appeared with clumsy,
| ill-porportioned, heavy ironwood board
scarcely 20 feet in length, but with ends
sharpened like a knife edge. His tribe could
| hardly be prevented from killing him out
| right, for what chance had he, young man
| of eighteen senmers, with such a short,
| heavy board, against man of 35 who had
been the victor in every contest in which
| he had taken part, and who had implicit
confidence in him. But the King insisted
| on the sport going on, so eventually the
| boards were launched, and long before the
| Oahuian had cleared the line of breakers to
seward, the Kauiian had reached the open
sea and was giving an exhibition of his
| prowesS
One of the rules governing the sport was
| that either could start in shore on the face
of any breaker, but it would not be a go
| until his opponent had started on the same
sea. 1t had necessarily to be mutual either
could make as many attempts as he saw fit
| to draw the other on, and this was continued
for all hour or two, each struggling for any
| advantage in position, but once started to-
| gether there was no retracting; it had to be
| continued to the beach; if neither was Sue
cessful in dislodging or wounding the other,
| the whole was repeated until one had been
declared the victor At last the start was
made. Now all were wildly excited; men
and women were rushing here and there,
| talking and gesticulating; the tribes lined
| the very waters edge: some, in their en-
thusiasm, even entered the water, but were
compelled to leave, this being against the
law. The Kauiian warriors, knowing that
| their representative would be successful in
the contest, and fearing the vengeance of
the OahuianS in consequence, were formed
! in line of battle with their weapons ready
| for instant use; the others soon followed
the same tactics, but were more on the
defensive, being greatly inferior in num-
| beers.
The riders reached the first line of the
| breakers where the Kauiian, with his light
board, was the observed of all observers,
not only from the admirable way in which
| he handled his board, but from his wonder
! full gymnastics while whirling along at such
a rapid gait The Oehuian, on the contrary,
seemed to be making heavy weather, and it
was apparent to all that the Kauian was
getting closer to the shore before dislodging
his opponent, for he had made several feints,
but drew off at the last moment each time,
when any one of them must have been sue
cessful had he continued.
And now they are within few hundred
yards of the beach. Every mouth is yell
ing each trying to give instructions to his
champion, force is being used to keep the
most persistent ones from rushing into the
sea, the kauiian has ranged within a few
yards of the other for final plunge and
now seemed his chance, for the Oabuian's
board turned he is making an effort to keep
his balance. when to the surprise of all, in
the wild rush that followed he not only
| missed his opponent, but the light board
shot entirely over the heavy one, which in
some mysterious way dipped beneath the
surface at just the proper moment. Now was
the Oahuan's chance. They run almost on
shore, and flying with that frightful VeIo-
city with which a sea rolls on a gradually
shoaling beach, both perched on the crest
OF breaker IS feet in height, when the
Oahuian, to the surprise of all, shot his
board with the speed of en- arrow, and be-
fore the kauiian could recover he was
struck with the sharp end of the heavy
board under the arm, entirely severing that
member from the body, and entering the
face under the jaw it ranged half way
through the head, and, with the dead body
still fast on his board, the young Oahuian
landed without scratch in the midst of his
own tribe. SO short, so wonderfully quick
and III such masterly way had the feat
been accomplished that neither anger nor